May 29th Memorial Day 2017

no words, just a thankful prayer........

 

 

Today began with a thunderclap. Quite literally. About 6am, as we were soundly sleeping we were jolted awake by the thunder and lightening. Don't know how the chickens faired in their coop, but the dog was glued to the side of our bed - shaking. I tried to get back to sleep, but that ship had sailed.

So, to prove an idiom, I was up with the chickens.

 

Once again, the temperature was lovely. An anomaly at the end of May in New Orleans, but albeit a welcomed one. It is still slightly drizzling. I love to watch the rain. It calms my soul.

 

Then I decided to let the hens out.

Hen Solo aka Henny was eyeballing me. She gave me that typical side eye that chickens do, like they are assessing you but they still feel far superior. Everyone else was waiting at the "starting gate".

As I walked to the front of the cage, they stopped clucking....... then they wait, like little raptor clawed runners. I slowly opened the clasp, and then the coop door. Annnnnnd they're off, wings flapping to their little hearts content, right into the herbs. Breakfast of Champions, herbs and bugs. Yum!

 

With the rain still coming down, I walked around to assess the garden. I was immediately drawn to the kumquat tree. It almost looks like a light snow covered the branches, the blooms are so prevalent. The sweet lovely scent evades the entire yard.

 

A few of the 'chokes are plumping up in the rain. I think they need to get just a bit bigger before we harvest.

 

 

The blueberries are loving this rain too.

 

The rain is coming down a bit harder now, so I figured I'd round up the girls. They had been out around 2 hours. They really weren't ready to get "cooped" up again and I wasn't ready to run around in the rain trying to corral them. I repeatedly told them I was sorry, but they don't seem to allow a simple mea culpa. I enlisted the aid of a piece of sliced bread. Its like crack to them. The minute they realize I have it, they run to grab a bite. I leave small bits like Hansel and Gretel, to the coop door. They follow it every time. Hope they never get wise to it. Ya gotta be smarter than the chickens  ;)

 

My son and daughter in law sent this picture from a quick trip to Portland Oregon.

Portland is known as the Rose City. This is a beautiful example!

Wish I could smell it.

Now on to making breakfast.

 

 

May 24th or day 144 on the Gregorian calendar

The weather is beautiful today, makes you glad to be alive and not at work! The gentle breeze is stirring up the wonderful smells of the herb garden. So peaceful.

and the temperature isn't too shabby either.

 

I hear the girls clucking to be let out of the coop. Whenever they hear the back door open they start in a chicken chorus. Thankfully it is never really loud, but it is consistent. They all gather in tight formation right by the door, and burst out with a flapping of wings, when it is opened.

Only collected 2 eggs this morning. A couple of the girls prefer to lay later on in the day, I'll check back later.........

 

Then, in their zeal to get out, poop. Its an unfortunate byproduct of chickens (actually, I'll say that its an unfortunate byproduct of living things!!) In my line of work I deal in body "byproducts" all the time, so I'm not squeamish about poop. (Jeez! Makes me sound like I work for a covert operation of the CIA or the city morgue!) We let the chicken poop it dry, sweep it away then hose it off.

Its great for compost, but not so great on your shoes. If you step in it, you feel like Andy Dufresne on taco Tuesday!

 

 

You know the phrase, "Madder than a wet hen"? Well, I'm here to say that it is unequivocally true. I was watering the garden, when I accidentally hosed the hens. They shrieked and ran off to just out of hose range. Then the clucking chorus really amped up!

I told them I was sorry, but nooooo. They surely do hold a grudge!

 

 

This is Curly parsley. Doing great on a east facing windowsill

 

 

Lemon balm. This makes a great green tea. Just add some mint and stevia and let it steep.

 

 

I noticed a few blooms on the strawberries. Now here's hoping the girls don't eat my strawberries again.

 

 

The kumquat tree is blooming with fruit still on it.

 

There's another small 'choke. This plant is proving to be really prolific. We have several more artichokes around the garden, but none are blooming but this one.

 

I was going out to read - my most favorite "chill out" thing to do, when I asked Leia if she'd accompany me. She flatly refused. She said that she certainly wasn't going out there when the girls were out and about. They love her. A bit too much at times, but love her they do! Wherever she goes, they follow - like the Pied Piper. When she's had enough, she stands at the back door waiting to go back in.

 

 

 

 

I settled in a patio chair with my Nook, preparing to dig into a new mystery novel, and I look down and I'm surrounded by chickens. They are so sociable. I'm thinking, how cute. Then I do my mental count.......1,2,3,4..... where is Hen Solo? I look around and do not immediately see her. I've heard stories of opossums and hawks killing chickens, so I get up and look around for her. "Hen Solo! Here chick, chick!" Then I see her......

 

parked on the edge of the Chicken Spa. (AKA top of old bird bath) Wow, that's the life. I guess now I've become part of the flock. What a menagerie we have? Humans, canine and fowl. I absolutely love it!

 

 

Thought of the day: Try to have at least one "lazy day" per week. It helps to reduce stress, high blood pressure, possibility of stroke and heart disease. Also, animals help to reduce it too :)

May 21st 2.0

I forgot to share a picture my son sent from the Seattle area.
This is taken in Green Lake Park and those are Canadian geese and their goslings.

I think the small one to the far right is a male, because his name is Ryan.......

Get it? Ryan Gosling.

Jeez, I crack myself up!

 

May 21st

7:00 this am. Cloudy

tip for the day.

I've always wondered exactly what that ring around the moon meant, now I do. I've also always wanted to start a book with this line, "Call me Ishmael." Ha! But no, don't call me that.

We collected 5 eggstoday. Picked up 2 more.                                                                   Which came first? Chicken? Egg?

The girls, waiting to bail out of the coop, ASAP. Pepper was squawking so much, that the others began too. It reminded me of that scene in "When Harry Met Sally", when the lady at the other table says, "I'll have what she's having!"

Rainy weekend, but it didn't stop us from being in the garden. These are various mint plants.

this is Hung Cay, a Vietnamese mint.

 

this is one called Chocolate Mint Patty

 

 

Purple Basil

 

Thai Basil

 

 

Bay Leaf, otherwise known as Bay Laurel

 

 

here's more of our 'chokes. There is 6 more on the bush.

These are 2 more, so far we've harvested 3.

 

 

okra

 

bell peppers

 

Vidalia onions

garlic

 

just chicken butts.

 They are running with away with a lizard

 that Nugget caught. That lizard was completely gone when I went to look for it. That lizard died under mysterious circumstances. I suspect fowl play!

 

 

Chicken school:

Here's the thing about hens, they have a laying cycle. They think they are "brooding" baby chicks, so like most animals, they are more prolific in the spring and summer months. They may lay an egg a day and then take a day off. It usually takes around 26 hours to form an egg, so the longer days in the spring/ summer are ideal for laying. The fall and winter, with shorter days, may mean that the hens won't lay but every other day or so. Hens typically start laying around 20weeks or sexual maturity. They will produce most of their eggs while they are young and begin to taper off as they age. They go though a type of menopause and completely stop around 5 years old. Many chicken "farmers utilize their hens as Sunday dinner then. Nope! These girls are our pets. Besides, the first rule of chicken club, is you don't talk about chicken club! No eating these girls!

So, until next time, remember the Beatles songs about gardening:
"I'd like to be, under the sea, in an octopuses garden in the shade"
"Strawberry fields forever"
And
"Tangerine trees and marmalade skies".............

May 15th "National Straw Hat Day"

Today in 1940, nylons were first sold in the US. Dunno about you, but, I don't wear nylons, nor do I own a straw hat. This blog is nothing if not informative. This is my mission, to teach mankind on the inane trivial things that float around in my brain. It is also the first day that I've been in the garden in several days, and it was pretty hot! Not Africa hot like August in South Louisiana can be, but hot nonetheless.

The mallards flew in for an extended visit. They nibble on the herbs in the garden and the chicken feed in the coop. Seems that we are the Stuckey's of the duck world. A roadside pit stop without the Burma Shave signs.

They went in through the opened coop door like it was the entrance to Narnia. I guess all the fowl behave alike

 

They are inherently curious following us all around the yard. Now I know how Dorothy felt surrounded by a bunch of Munchkins. What a world! What a world!

 

 

 

The remains of the day. Breakfast this morning. So delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

Today's haul. Only 1 egg so far, but, as you know, the girls lay at different times. The cherry tomatoes are excellent! I have several ripe larger tomatoes that I can't wait to make into a sandwich. So New Orleans..... a tomato sandwich on French bread with Blue Plate mayo. Tasty!

The CEO gave me flowers for Mother's Day. It's a dozen roses for 5 kids, 5 grandkids and the 2 of us. They are so beautiful! He also made a chocolate cake! It was excellent. I had a piece the size of the Flatiron Building in New York, yum!

The girls make a bee line for the compost heap to dine on our vermiculture area. Big word for worm composting. The worms take cover when the girls come in and begin to scratch.

 

 

The artichoke bush. Look closely and you can see 6 of them.

 

 

This is another experiment. Its a peanut that a squirrel buried. It's growing nicely. We'll see if it produces, or the hens eat it. Whatever comes first. The little buggars ate my strawberry. Oh well, it was only the one berry, so I guess I'll let them have it.

 

 

mandarin orange

 

beets

 

 

more cherry tomatoes! Love 'em

 

 

An update on the mockingbird.........

that's the

 baby in the grass, stretching his wings, while mama protector looks on ready to dive bomb if necessary. They grow up so fast. She'll be an empty nester soon.